When we are in a place we don’t know very well, we always read fiction about that place. Hence our lists of favourite Norwegian, Turkish, and Irish books. For most people (including us), the Balkans is an even less-well known place. Here are some Balkan books we’ve really enjoyed, which have also taught us a lot about this area.
Books by Balkan Authors
- The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht (2011) takes place in an indeterminate place in the Balkans. The novel traces the story of a doctor, Natalia, bringing vaccinations to an area affected by war. Her grandfather has just died, and she recalls the stories he used to tell her, including about a semi-tame tiger. The use of magical realism and superstitious tales in remote villages give it a timeless feel. And the geographical fuzziness elevates the narrative above partisan issues. Plus, one of the characters is a man who might be the nephew of death. We really liked this one!
- Sara Nović’s Girl at War (2015) tells the story of a girl in Zagreb who watches her parents shot in front of her. She spends some time as a refugee and child soldier. She then flees to America to join the family who has adopted her sister, and returns, years later to confront her past and reconnect with loved ones. A great read, particularly useful for situating the war for Americans.
- Winter Fog, Spring Blossoms: Contemporary Bosnian Short Stories (2017). We found a lovely bookstore in Sarajevo, and since we like to patronise independent bookstores everywhere, we bought a copy of this small paperback collection. There are nineteen stories, some of them just a few pages long. Many take place in Bosnia-Hercegovina, but some deal with Bosnian exiles as they try to negotiate new cultures. (Some of them reminded us of Jhumpa Lahiri’s early work.) Two favourites were ‘The Antique Shop’, a wonderful meditation on time and history, and ‘The Blouse with Silk Embroidery’ about a young girl coming to terms with her parents’ infidelities.
- Ivo Andrić is one of the most famous writers in the region. We’re not finished with his Bridge on the Drina, but so far we like it. It’s a big sweeping historical narrative, focusing on the 16th century Ottoman Grand Vizier Mehmed-paša Sokolović and the bridge named after him. The bridge proves central to the lives of the people of Višegrad, and later holds strategic importance.
Books About the Balkans
- Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon receives pride of place in this category. Hailed as one of the great works of the 20th century, it is nowadays overlooked. It is, to be sure, not an easy read – and not just because it reaches 1,100 pages. The basis of the story is West’s visit to the Balkans in 1937. It is often classified as a travel book, and she does indeed write beautifully about the land and its people. But there is so much more. She weaves in the history of the various peoples and places, and her portraits of individuals are extremely memorable. Once you read her vivid description of Archduke Ferdinand’s visit to Sarajevo, which brought on World War I, or her portrait of Peter Karageorgeovitch as both soldier and statesman, you won’t forget them. And she casts an unfriendly eye on empires, both the Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman, for what they did to the people of Yugoslavia.
- Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo (2008) takes inspiration from the real-life cellist of Sarajevo, Vedran Smailović. He played in the streets during the siege of Sarajevo. The book, however, focuses on three characters, one a counter-sniper, and two ordinary citizens who are trying to get bread and water respectively. This one is our favourite in this category; it’s beautifully written and well-captures the spirit of the city.
- People of the Book: Geraldine Brooks beautifully captures the feel of a place in a particular time. Many times, actually: this is the (fictionalised) story of the discovery but also the loss of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a rare illustrated Jewish manuscript originally from Spain. It covers some of the history of the Siege, but also the movements of others, including Jews after the Spanish Edict of Expulsion.
- We have mixed feelings about Olivia Manning’s Balkan Trilogy: one of us loved it, one of us hated it. This may have had something to do with the male protagonist, Guy Pringle. (He is not lovable.) But there is a great deal of superb atmosphere and many interesting plot twists to make the trilogy well worth reading – at least one of us thinks so!
- Travels In Blood and Honey by Elizabeth Gowing (2010). A British beekeeper’s story, this memoir set in Kosovo is a good break from all the sorrow and bloodshed. (Mostly.)
We have not (yet) read A Girl In Exile by Ismail Kadare, which looks to be one of those satirical life-under-the-Communists narratives (plus sex). Or Meša Selimović’s Death and the Dervish (1966), which looks to be one of those satirical life-under-the-Ottomans narratives (plus suicide). Both are classics.
Those are our picks, but we’re always looking for more recommendations!
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